Monday, June 22, 2015

Did you ever have red, itchy, runny eyes and wondered if it is from allergies or dry eyes or perhaps an eye infection? There are differences in what you typically experience with eye allergies, dry eyes and eye infections and it might just be worth having some helpful information. Here is an overview of allergies and dry eye as compared to an eye infection.

About Allergies & Dry EyesSymptoms of Allergies or Dry Eyes

If you work at a computer for an extended time or have allergies to products or airborne substances, you may experience dry, red or irritated eyes.

Generally allergies and dry eyes affect both eyes.

Treatment options usually include resting your eyes or using an over-the-counter or prescription eye drops, as recommended by your eye doctor.

About Eye InfectionsSymptoms of Eye Infections

Frequently occurs when bacteria, fungi or viruses attack any part of your eye, including the surface, membrane lining of the outer eye and inner eyelid, interior portions or the soft tissue of the eyelid.

Infections inside the eye or in the soft tissue of the eyelid are the most dangerous and if left untreated, the condition may spread throughout the eye.

Symptoms usually include redness, pain, discharge, watering and sensitivity to light; usually occurs only in one eye; if symptoms are detected, immediately contact your eye doctor for an evaluation.

Types of Eye Infections

Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) is a common infection that is highly contagious.

Viral Keratitis may be simply related to a respiratory virus or cold or more serious such as Ocular Herpes that occurs when exposed to the Herpes Simplex Virus.

Fungal Keratitis is due to infection caused by a fungus commonly found in organic matter such as soil, leaves or branches of a tree.

Acanthamoeba Keratitis is caused by a parasite that attacks the eye more often in individuals wearing contact lenses who enter swimming in pools, lakes, ponds, hot tubs or streams where their risk of contracting this infection is the greatest.

Trachoma is more typically found in underdeveloped countries and infects the inner eyelid along with eyelashes touching the area can infect the cornea and cause permanent blindness.

Endophthalmitis is a serious eye infection that is due to a penetrating eye injury or complication following eye surgery and if left untreated, may lead to blindness.

To avoid eye infections, wash your hands throughout the day, especially if you are near an individual with a red eye or other signs of infection. Contact lens wearers should follow care and handling instructions provided by their eye doctor.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Diet can often play a role in both accelerating
and reducing the risk of the development of Type 2 Diabetes. High fat, high
carbohydrate, high caloric diets increase the rate of obesity which is
associated with Type 2 Diabetes. Now,
according to reports from the
Harvard School of Public Healtheating certain
whole fruits may reduce the risk for Type 2 Diabetes, even though fruit juice
consumption may increase the risk for diabetes.

Research
about Diabetes Risk &Eating Fruit

Investigators combined data from 3 studies: the
Nurses' Health Study of more than 66,000 patients, the Nurses' Health Study II
of more than 85,000 patients and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with
over 36,000 patients. The participants in all 3 studies completed
questionnaires assessing health and lifestyle factors, including diet, every 2
years.

The
researchers excluded participants with a preexisting diagnosis of diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, or cancer, as well as those who had missing data for
fruit or fruit juice consumption or an extremely high or low caloric intake,
and those who had an unclear date of diabetes diagnosis.

The
analysis was adjusted for personal, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors for
diabetes. The researchers concluded that
every 3 servings of fruit per week were associated with a lower risk for Type 2
diabetes. When the researchers looked at individual types of fruit in a
multivariate analysis, adjusted for the same factors, they found that 3
servings per week of some fruits were more closely associated with reduced risk of diabetes especially
blueberries, grapes and apples.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease allows physicians,
family, friends and caregivers to prepare and provide the support necessary to
loved one’s who suffer this disease. It now appears that subtle changes in eye
movement patterns may be helpful in detecting Alzheimer’s Disease.

Research on Eye
Movements & Alzheimer’s Disease

According to researchers reporting in Investigative
Ophthalmology & Vision Science generally, eye movements follow a reproducible pattern during normal
reading. Each eye movement typically ends up at a fixation point, which allows
the brain to process the incoming information and to program the following movements.
The researchers found that in those patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
there are unusual eye movement patterns when reading such that the fixation
patterns and endpoints are disturbed. They concluded that evaluation of eye
movement behavior during reading might provide a useful tool for a more precise
early diagnosis of AD and for monitoring the progress or stability of
Alzheimer’s Disease.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

You may not be aware of a type of eye cancer
called Ocular Melanoma, but for anyone concerned about eye health and vision it
is a problem worth learning a little bit about.

What
is Ocular Melanoma?

Ocular Melanoma (OM) is actually the most common
form of cancer that occurs in the eye. In the U.S. alone there are some 2,500
adults who are diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma (OM). OM is an aggressive
malignant cancer that starts in the eye’s pigment cells that produce the eye
color that you see in the iris and the pigmented layer of the retina. Ocular
Melanoma tends to occur in more often in people over 50 years of age with lighter
skin pigmentation and more often those with, blue or green eyes. That said, OM
also can occur in people of every race and at any age. For about 50 percent of
individuals diagnosed with OM, the cancer may be fatal, because it metastasizes
and spreads to other parts of the body. OM is considered a silent killer. There
are no early warning signs, and it is difficult if not impossible to see when
studying your eyes in the mirror.

How
is Ocular Melanoma Diagnosed?

Ocular Melanoma is often detected by an eye
doctor during a routine eye exam in an otherwise healthy patient. This is what
scheduling regular eye exams are so important. While at first there may not be
obvious symptoms, once OM has developed you may experience blurred vision, a
change in the shape of the pupil, flashing lights, a loss of vision and
sometimes a dark spot on the iris. Researchers have discovered that people with
OM tend to have certain gene mutations, which could suggest there is a strong
genetic component to the disease. However, scientists have not concluded that
these abnormalities are the cause. They believe there may be a connection
between the development of OM and prolonged exposure to sunlight or artificial
light, such as from tanning beds, but there is not significant research
confirming this link.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center

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Scott Buck, M.D.

Comprehensive Ophthalmologist, LASIK & Cataract Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. is the Founder of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, P.C. Dr. Buck earned his Medical Degree at Indiana University School of Medicine followed by a Residency in Ophthalmology at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Buck provides examination, consultation and treatment for eye diseases as well as Laser Eye Surgery such as LASIK Eye Surgery for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In addition, Dr. Buck provides implants (IOL) for the correction of astigmatism and near vision after Cataract Surgery. Further, he has a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface problems such as dry eye and dry eye syndrome and takes personal pride in providing patients with help for dry eyes. In addition, Dr. Buck and his staff are committed to helping patients look their best with both non-surgical aesthetic treatments such as BOTOX® Cosmetic and gel fillers such as Restylane® and Perlane, as well as cosmetic eyelid surgery such as Blepharoplasty to help with droopy, puffy or saggy eyelids.